Play Labs 2018 accelerator will include blockchain as a playful technology focus

We are excited to be hosting Play Labs again this summer and will be working with them and their startup companies, providing mentorship and advice on product development, user experience, and game design!

This year, Play Labs has expanded its “playful technologies” startups to include blockchain startups coming out of the MIT ecosystem. I am excited to see new innovations in blockchain beyond cryptocurrency. One way Play Labs startups will be able to do so is through access to Theta Labs‘ decentralized streaming media protocol. Riz Virk, Executive Director for Play Labs notes:

“A new decentralized video streaming architecture like Theta’s can be very disruptive to the entertainment and live streaming industries, especially when considering the surge in video content coming with the rise of esports, VR, 8k and more. Both streaming and blockchain are key technology areas for Play Labs this year and we look forward to fostering an ecosystem that delivers real value.”

As Studio Manager for the MIT Game Lab, Rik Eberhardt spends his days playing Tetris: with people, boxes, tasklists, equipment, and time. When not staring at a spreadsheet trying to fit in another computer purchase, a last minute event budget, or placing undergraduate researchers on a Game Lab project, he's chipping away at spreadsheets on his DS, reproducing pixel-art in Picross and Picross 3D. His favorite moments on the job are working on projects with student workers and having fun social interactions forced on him despite his busy schedule.
Contact him about research projects at the MIT Game Lab at gamelab-request@mit.edu